Steve Harper, author of The Ripple Effect, asked me a question on Monday during our Influence Mastermind Interview… and part of my answer was inspired by a meeting I was in two weeks ago with Dr. Ivan Misner, founder of BNI, the largest networking organization in the world.
And I want to share with you.
Quick Background-
For more than a year, I have been patiently and diligently interviewing experts, authors, and business leaders as a build up to a launching of a coaching program for the general public, along side two books.
The process has given me more than I could ever give in return, and along the way I’ve clarified my view on a concept – Entrepreneurial Harmony – that I’m writing about in a book, The Alchemy of Influence, Sales Leadership and Entrepreneurial Success Through Harmonic Influence Over Ourselves, Others and The World.
So… the question was asked, “How do you define Entrepreneurial Harmony?”
Here was my answer:
“Most business owners, sales professionals and entrepreneurs are blindly led in a dangerous direction, in attempt to achieve ‘balance’. I don’t know about you, but I’ve given up on balance. I think it was Marcus Buckingham who said, great achievers actually seek out ‘intentional imbalance’. Two weeks ago, I asked Ivan Misner what his number one focus was each day when he got out of bed… his answer, “harmony”.
Ivan confirmed what I believed and have been writing and teaching about. There is an experience, a way of living, almost like a “zone” that has nothing to do with balance, and everything to do with harmony … I call it Entrepreneurial Harmony. Importantly, it is very profitable.
Here is more good news – it’s not a complicated concept.
Entrepreneurial Harmony has 2 parts.
First of all, Entrepreneurial Harmony happens when we as individuals make an intentional effort to align all of our actions, both professional and personal, with one ultimate guiding purpose for our lives. This is when people often ask me, ‘what if I don’t know what my purpose is?’ The best answer I have is that it is less important to ‘know what our purpose is’ than it is to decide on one for the moment.
At the very least, as long as we are always asking, ‘what might my ultimate purpose be?’, we know that we are moving closer to it, vs. worrying about whether we have chosen the ‘right or wrong purpose’.
For some, it can be valuable to simply look at where they currently are and ask, ‘what are the reasons I enjoy what I do now?’ This often reveals a glimpse into what they might consider their purpose to be. Even if somebody doesn’t have clearly defined purpose, they can choose principles that they believe in, which can also create harmony, by aligning all their actions with certain principles. For some, what I just said, might be two ways of explaining the same thing.
The second part of the equation, which plays a major role in my personal objective with Global Empowerment Connection, is something I am truly passionate about helping other entrepreneurs to discover. Entrepreneurial Harmony happens when we allow our individual purpose to align with a greater purpose. I’m not here to say what that greater purpose should be for you, I’m just saying that something magical happens, business owners enter a zone, when they decide that what they are doing is about something greater than just themselves or their business.
I was interviewing Mark Ucra, better known as Dr. Tea, who has built the largest following in the U.S. amongst tea drinkers. He has been on every major news outlet, including The View a few weeks ago. When I asked him about his success, all he talked about was harmony with the planet. I know, it sounds like a bunch of fluff at first, but it’s worth thinking about.
Ultimately, I’ve found that in my business, and in the businesses of those who I meet who are absolutely thriving, regardless of economy, both these elements are in place. What happens is amazing. Miracles take place. The ideas, resources and people all come together when somebody works towards Entrepreneurial Harmony. This isn’t fluff, it’s very real. I see it, but it isn’t always obvious. Often the people who are living it don’t always know how to explain it. They just have found their way.
I hope this message inspires you in some way to continue your journey towards Entrepreneurial Harmony. Maybe you are living it right now.
Feel free to share thoughts, criticisms, questions and your own stories with me. I want to hear about your experience of Entrepreneurial Harmony?
Jon
Jon Berghoff is the founder of Global Empowerment Connection. GEC has a history of creating sales, leadership, and entreprenuerial success through ‘harmonic influence’ over ourselves, others and the world. Subscribe to Insights on Influence, our free e-zine at www.geconnection.com.
Tags: BNI, Entrepreneurship, Harmony, influence, Sales, success
